Garbage disposal apparatus

Abstract

A garbage disposal apparatus includes a shredding device for shredding garbage put in through a drain opening of a sink and a connecting member, a transverse conveying device for conveying the garbage shredded by the shredding device in a transverse direction, a dehydrating device into which the shredded garbage conveyed through the transverse conveying device is introduced and that is for dehydrating the shredded garbage while conveying the shredded garbage upward, a drying device into which the shredded garbage discharged through the dehydrating device is supplied via a chute and that is for drying the shredded garbage while rotating, and a garbage receptacle disposed under the drying device so as to be able to be pulled out, and the shredded garbage dried and reduced in volume by the drying device drops from the rotating drying device and is collected in the garbage receptacle.

1. A garbage disposal apparatus comprising:
 a shredding device configured to communicate with a drain opening of a sink via a connecting member, and being configured to shred garbage put in through the drain opening of the sink and the connecting member; 
 a transverse conveying device disposed under the shredding device, and being configured to convey the shredded garbage in a transverse direction; 
 a dehydrating device disposed adjacent to the transverse conveying device and into which the shredded garbage conveyed through the transverse conveying device is introduced, and being configured to dehydrate the shredded garbage while conveying the shredded garbage upward; 
 a drying device disposed adjacent to the dehydrating device and into which the shredded garbage discharged through the dehydrating device is supplied via a chute, and being configured to dry the shredded garbage while rotating so as to reduce the volume of the shredded cabbage; 
 a garbage receptacle disposed under the drying device so as to be able to be pulled out, and into which the shredded garbage dried and reduced in volume by the drying device is configured to be dropped from the drying device and collected; and 
 a garbage strainer that is detachably disposed in the connecting member and doubles as a starting switch through the drain opening of the sink, 
 wherein the dehydrating device, the drying device, and the garbage receptacle are disposed in a main body casing, the shredding device and the transverse conveying device are disposed in a side casing fixed to the main body casing, and the connecting member is coupled to the side casing, 
 wherein the shredding device comprises a shredder and a retaining blade, the shredder having two parallel rotating shafts which are configured to rotate in opposite directions to each other and which are axially supported by the casing in a rotatable manner, and each of the rotating shafts has a plurality of shredding blades, and the retaining blade is disposed above the shredder, has a rotating shaft which is axially supported by the side casing in a rotatable manner, and is configured to press down garbage from above, 
 wherein the transverse conveying device comprises an approximately semi-cylindrical conveying trough having a plurality of drainage holes formed in a peripheral wall thereof, transverse conveying screw disposed in the conveying trough, and a rotating shaft which is axially supported by the side casing in a rotatable manner, 
 wherein the rotating shaft of the transverse conveying device, the rotating shafts of the shredder, and the rotating shaft of the retaining blade are configured to be rotated in this order in set directions by a single shredding motor in conjunction with one another, at a reduced speed with respect to the number of revolutions of the shredding motor, and 
 wherein the retaining blade is configured to be driven at a reduced speed while the shredding motor is driven so as to be able to feed garbage into the shredder continuously. 
 
     
     
       2. The garbage disposal apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the dehydrating device includes a water level sensor for detecting that a water level in a dehydration screen has risen to a certain level or more. 
     
     
       3. The garbage disposal apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein a flap facing an outlet of the dehydrating device is disposed in the chute so as to be able to swing on a vertical axis, and the flap is biased by a spring so as to close the outlet. 
     
     
       4. The garbage disposal apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising a fullness sensor for detecting that the garbage receptacle in which the dried shredded garbage is sequentially collected is full to capacity. 
     
     
       5. The garbage disposal apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein an exhaust fan is attached to a main body casing housing the dehydrating device, the drying device, and the garbage receptacle. 
     
     
       6. The garbage disposal apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising a gear fixed to an output shaft of the shredding motor, a gear fixed to the rotating shaft of the transverse conveying screw, gears respectively fixed to the rotating shafts of the shredder, and a gear fixed to the rotating shaft of the retaining blade, wherein the gears are engaged with each other successively or via a reduction gear.